​You have probably wanted to see the famous swamp network known as the Everglades... from the safety of a wide, dry boardwalk. But have you wanted to see this enormous, wild swamp the hard way? Collier-Seminole State Park, on the western edge of the Everglades, protects a section of the swamp where black bears and Florida panthers abound. The primary focus on hiking in the park is the "Adventure Trail", a nearly 7-mile long slog across the dark swamp waters into one of Florida's most remote areas. This hike occurred on Thursday, November 26th, 2015 (Thanksgiving Day). My plan was to hike the Adventure Hiking Trail loop counter-clockwise, although by the time I was 2/3 of the way through, I was confident that the opposite direction would've been better.

About Me

Mark OlegMy name is Mark,​I am 16 years old, and I've been hiking since 2011. I started by hiking occasionally short trails in the Georgia State Parks, as I live in Atlanta. Then in 2012, I expanded my trips into other states of the Southeast. During the year of 2013, I started hiking more in the National Forests and especially in the Carolinas and Tennessee. My other hobbies include chess, science, meteorology, and music. In fact, I am a weather forecaster with 3 years of experience. I am a student at European School of Music where I learned that music and nature have a lot in common. Listening to good music inspires me to capture nature's beauty on the camera in different aspects that also make me recall many beautiful music pieces that I've heard.